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Matt Dudack

Matt has been with the band since 1996 and has been artistic
director since 1998. He holds a bachelor's degree in music education
from the Hartt School, and a master's degree in performance from the
University of Akron. His arrangements and original compositions have
been featured both in performance and on the band's recordings. Part
of his duties at the University of Akron include teaching an
arranging class for steel drums and private lessons.

In 2002, Matt traveled to Trinidad to get a first-hand look at the
home of pan. While there, he was able to perform during Panorama
with the Invaders Steelband as well as check out many of the other
bands on the island. In 2010, Matt travelled again to T&T, as
executive director for “Hammer on Steel,” a DVD and PBS broadcast
which was nominated for 8 Emmy awards.

Matt is founder of “Found Sounds” which performs educational
programs throughout the Northeast Ohio region. The group performs
for schools through the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning (formerly
Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland) and the Children's Concert
Society of Summit County as well as countless private bookings.

Matt is a percussionist with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and has
worked with one of the Symphony's outreach programs, the PATHS
"Pandemonium" Steelband. He is also directs the steelband at the
Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Akron and
is on the faculty of Canton Country Day School as a co-curricular
arts teacher.

He is co-founder of Akros Percussion Collective, a group which
performs new and experimental works for percussion. Akros has
performed internationally at the “Blurred Edges” festival in
Hamburg, Germany and in NYC as a part of So Percussion’s “Night of
Awesome(ness).” Matt has premiered chamber works by Ben Johnston,
Stuart Saunders Smith, John Bergamo, Emmanuel Sejourne, Robert Carl,
and has performed at many Percussive Arts Society International
Conventions